Do You Need to Go to Court after a Car Accident?
After any automobile accident that involves significant property damage or possible injury claims, many people have concerns that they are going to have to go to court to resolve their claims. Fortunately for many people, court appearances are not always necessary in these cases.
The truth is that most car accident claims are resolved outside of court because the insurance companies responsible for the drivers do not want to pay the steep costs that can be involved in taking a case to trial. When the parties involved are aware that individuals have valid claims, it is often just a matter of coming to an agreement on the amount of financial compensation that will be paid.
Settling with an Insurance Company
After a car accident in St. Louis, a person will generally report their crash to their own insurance company. People should also file claims with the insurer for the negligent driver, but you may want to have a St. Louis car accident attorney deal with another insurance company for you.
A person files a first-party claim when they are filing a claim with their own insurance company, but any claim filed against another driver’s insurer will be a third-party claim. Insurance companies are inherently skeptical of all claim requests they receive, so you should expect an insurer to try and fight to pay as little as possible to resolve a claim.
Insurance companies are typically the parties that are going to be responsible for covering the damages of all people harmed in motor vehicle accidents. It can take several rounds of negotiations to achieve a fair and full settlement offer that actually covers all of a person’s costs arising from a crash.
People need to be aware that many insurance companies will be quick to offer people lump-sum settlements to resolve their cases, but you are under no obligation to accept this offer. Chances are very likely that whatever you are being offered is actually far less than you are entitled to.
Taking a Case to Court
Not every car accident case can reach a resolution through a settlement, so people may need to take their cases to court in some cases. A lawyer will know when to file a claim in court to seek compensation.
Proving a car accident case in court usually requires an attorney to demonstrate that another driver’s negligence was the cause of an accident. Your attorney will be able to conduct an independent investigation into your crash to secure the evidence necessary to prove your claims.
It can also be possible that filing a claim to take a case to court may also compel an insurance company to accept your previous settlement offer in some cases. Trials are always the most expensive outcomes but they are also unavoidable in some cases.
Call Us Today to Schedule a Free Consultation with a St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer
Did you recently suffer serious injuries or was your loved one killed in a car accident in St. Louis? You will want to speak to Bruntrager & Billings, P.C. about what options you might have for recovering compensation in your case.
Our firm knows how confusing and stressful it can be for people to seek damages following car accidents, but we work closely with our clients so they are kept fully informed of everything that is happening with their cases. Call (314) 646-0066 or contact us online to arrange a free consultation with our St. Louis car accident lawyer.